Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (RRUVNL) has invited bids to set up 500 MW/1,000 MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) with a greenshoe option of 500 MW/1000 MWh.

The BESS project will be eligible for viability gap funding (VGF) support. The VGF for each developer is capped at ₹2.7 million (~$32,006)/MWh or 30% of the project’s capital cost, whichever is lower.

The total capacity will be distributed across RRUVNL’s generation facilities, including the Giral Lignite Power Project in Barmer, Suratgarh Thermal Power Station in Suragarth, and Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam’s substations at Sakatputa, Kota, and Heerapura, Jaipur.

The last day to submit the bids is December 16, 2024. Bids will be opened on December 18.

Bidders must submit a document fee of ₹29,500 (~$349) and a document processing fee of ₹1.5 million (~$17,781) + 18% GST.

They must also submit an earnest money deposit of ₹1.07 million (~$12,683)/MW and a performance bank guarantee for ₹2.65 million (~$31,413)/MW.

The developer will cover all costs related to infrastructure development from the project to the interconnection point, including transmission line and maintenance expenses. Securing connectivity with the state transmission utility network will be the developer’s responsibility at its expense.

The developer must ensure the system is available for two charge-discharge cycles per day, with procurement based on power. The BESS must allow RVUNL to charge and discharge on demand, and the developer must guarantee a minimum of 95% system availability monthly.

The minimum bid size is 250 MWh (125 MW x 2 hours), with a maximum of 125 MW/250 MWh per location and 17,500 square meters of land allocated per 125 MW/250 MWh project.

The project must be scheduled for commissioning within 18 months from the battery energy storage purchase agreement’s effective date.

RRUVNL will manage land identification and allocation for the projects.

Bidders must possess operational technologies to minimize the technology risk and achieve timely project commissioning.

The bidders’ net worth should be equal to or greater than ₹11 million (~$130,395)/MW of the quoted capacity as of the last date of the previous financial year.

They must have a minimum annual turnover of ₹16.1 million (~$190,851)/MW of the quoted capacity as of the previous financial year.

In March, the Ministry of Power issued the operational guidelines for a ₹94 billion (~$1.1 billion) program to provide up to 40% VGF to develop 4,000 MWh of BESS capacity nationwide.

India’s total BESS capacity reached 219.1 MWh as of March 2024, according to Mercom India Research’s newly released report, India’s Energy Storage Landscape.